Covert Chinese online accounts have reportedly been found masquerading as American supporters of former President Donald Trump, launching attacks on President Joe Biden and fueling domestic divisions ahead of the upcoming November election, as per researchers and government officials.
What Happened: These accounts suggest a potential change in Beijing’s strategy to influence American politics, demonstrating an increased readiness to target specific candidates and parties. Some of these accounts impersonate fervent Trump supporters, ridiculing President Biden and endorsing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, reported The New York Times.
Certain Chinese accounts pretend to be enthusiastic supporters of Trump, with one account on X claiming to be a “father, husband, and son” who fully supports MAGA. These accounts ridicule Biden’s age and share fabricated images of him wearing a prison uniform, or spread false claims of Biden being a Satanic pedophile while endorsing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” motto.
Researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue discovered a small cluster of these counterfeit accounts. They have connected this new activity to a long-standing network of accounts associated with the Chinese government, known as Spamouflage. These accounts, which previously posted pro-Beijing content in Mandarin, have recently resurfaced posing as genuine Americans writing in English.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based research organization, identified 170 fake pages and accounts on Facebook that have also disseminated anti-American messages, including sharp attacks on President Biden.
This endeavor has garnered more attention from actual users and has become more difficult for researchers to identify than previous Chinese attempts to influence public opinion in the United States. This has sparked concerns that China’s government may favor a second Trump presidency over a second Biden term, despite Trump’s occasionally hostile remarks about China.
China’s activities have already triggered alarms within the American government. In February, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that China was expanding its influence campaigns to undermine democracy and extend Beijing’s influence.
Why It Matters: This revelation comes on the heels of a warning issued by Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, in March 2024.
Haines expressed concerns over China potentially using TikTok to sway the forthcoming 2024 U.S. elections. The current findings underscore the growing threat of foreign interference in U.S. elections and the increasing sophistication of these disinformation campaigns.
Image Credits – Shutterstock/Edited
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